There are so many misconceptions about homeschooling that people are talking about on this board. I would like to take the time to discuss some of them.
The first misconception I will address is that homeschoolers spend too much time with their family and not enough time with their peers. The amount of time that a child needs to spend with their peers varies from child to child. Most homeschooled children are involved in many activities with their peers. They may also be involved in activities with children who are older and younger than they are. There are many advantages to being around children of different ages, but I won't go into that. My children are currently taking a gymnastics class with 10 other children, a science class with 30 other children, and an art class together. Twice a month we meet with other families at a Firestation where the children engage in fun educational activities. We also go bowling once/month with homeschoolers, and meet often with families in our neighborhood. We are currently looking at a creative dramatics class that involves many homeschoolers. I make sure my children are with their friends and peers as much as they need to be with them. One of my children doesn't have a desire to be with peers as often as their sibling. We have friends pick up my child who wants to be with friends often, while my other child stays home with me. My children have a very strong bond with me and their dad. The family unit is very important. We are able to spend a lot of time together learning, playing, reading, talking, relaxing, and the like.
The second misconception I'm going to address is the idea that homeschoolers are not responsible or they are lazy. I'm not sure where that idea came from, but all of the homeschoolers I know are not lazy or not responsible. My children have chores and responsibilites. They have classes to attend. Things to complete. For their ages, I think my children are very responsible.
The third misconception I'm going to address is that homeschoolers choose to homeschool because schools are dangerous, or something similar to that. Homeschoolers have differences in the reasons why they choose to homeschool. There are many reasons for homeschooling, and parents have their own reasons. My main reason to homeschool is my philosophy on how children learn best. There is no one way that children learn best. I believe children are individuals and they cannot be put in a mold. It is ridiculous to think that all children need to learn the same way and master a skill at the same time. It sets many children up for failure. I also believe that children should have a proactive role in their education. This is where unschooling, not the radical kind, can come into play. They should help with decisions regarding their education. When parents talk to their children about their interests, how they would like to learn something, and give them choices on what is possible for their learning, children will always seek answers to their probing questions. They will not become passive in learning. This doesn't mean that a child is left to fend for themselves. This means the parents work with the child and make sure the child has what they need to follow through with their interest, project, assignment, etc. For instance, my children became interested in the Statue of Liberty. We went to the library and found some books on the subject. I went online and found a coloring page and a quiz, and related activities. We did math activities by comparing the size of parts of the statue to our own bodies. We learned about the sculptor, France, and a little about the American Revolution and Colonial Times. Before we were through with the study on the statue, our studies covered all of the curriculums/subjects...math, science (materials and structure of the statue), art (sculptor, medium), geography (France, New York),history and social studies (Colonial Times, American Revolution, donation of statue, etc.), English (lots of reading and writing). I'm always amazed at what my children learn and seek out to learn on their own. Many adults think that children must be forced to learn, but this is not so. Children have a strong desire to know how to do things and to understand the world around them. Parents can be guides and learning tools for their children. They can find the answers to questions like 'Why is the sky blue?', and 'How can a big airplane fly?' if their child asks and they don't know the answer. They can introduce their children to new and amazing things. They can make learning fun and challenging. I love coming up with creative ideas for learning. I'm always searching for new ideas and ways to make learning interesting. That's what makes homeschooling great in my opinion. Seeing my children get excited about learning.
The last misconception is about unschooling. I've already mentioned a little bit about it. The word 'unschooling' takes on different meanings to different people. Most people who unschool use whatever materials is necessary for their children to gain the skills they need. Child-led learning, for most unschoolers, doesn't mean a parent does their thing and a child does their own thing. It doesn't mean there is little or no interaction between them in regards to learning new skills and academics. Most unschoolers use their children's interests and abilities to guide their children in learning. The parent is very active in the child's life. The parent finds needed materials, makes suggestions, gives the child ideas, finds answers to questions, encourages a child, and helps them in many ways. They also use everyday activities for learning important skills. This makes learning more meaningful. For instance, cooking is an important skill. A child can read the instructions and follow a recipe. They can learn and practice their measurement skills, and double a recipe and practice adding fractions. Young children can learn to count money by saving money to buy something, going to the grocery store and counting money to buy a toy, playing store at home, and other fun activities. Child-led doesn't exclude traditional school materials.
There are many other misconceptions, but I'll stop at these.
Homeschooling is a wonderful option. People should open their minds and not believe everything they hear and see on TV.
Parents want the best for their children, but what’s the best way to educate them? Dr. Phil’s guests face off in a debate about whether to school, homeschool or unschool. Dana and her husband, Joe, call themselves radical unschoolers. They say education happens as a side effect of life, and they don’t believe in tests, curriculums or grades. Are their three kids learning what they need to know? Then, RaeAnn says public schools are death traps and wants to homeschool her children. Her husband, Steve, says their kids are safer at school than they are at home. Can this couple reach a compromise? Plus, Nicole feels like an outcast at 26. She says she hated being homeschooled, and couldn’t relate to other kids. Share your thoughts here.
